Turangalila Advice
Question 1: If Miss Mussel were contracted to write a 1500-word essay/program note about Messiaen’s Turangalila Symphony, (and she is) where should she go first for information?
Any seminal publications/articles/recordings pop into mind?
A university library is available for journal articles.
Question 2: What would you like to see in a note about said symphony. You’ve all read program notes you hated, so now’s your chance to help create one you might like.
UPDATE: Finished notes available here.
philip amos | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
Previn’s recording is perhaps the best to date, but Ozawa’s RCA recording, the first, may be of particular interest because the piano part is played by Yvonne Loriod, Messiaen’s wife and erstwhile inspiration, when she was still in her prime. She is also in Chung’s much later DG version, no longer in her prime and in a performance that is not altogether satisfactory. However, and as ‘howevers’ go this is a big one, I would first be interested in what Messiaen himself had to say about the work, and the only place I am aware of one can find that is in the essay he wrote to accompany that DG Chung recording. Were I faced with this very daunting task, I would start there, if that is feasible.
Miss Mussel | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for this! Excellent pieces of advice and precisely what I was after. I’ll have to get ordering recordings at once.
Roger Miller | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
The Phiharmonia have a whole mini-site devoted to the Turangalila Symphony
http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/messiaen/music/turangalila.html
It might be of some use for your notes.
Miss Mussel | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
This looks great too. I’m spoilt for choice, the best position to be in.
Roger - I had to add a bit to your comment because I deleted it by accident while disposing of some spam. Wordpress doesn’t allow an identical comment to be posted twice thus the addendum.
Ian Goh | Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
as far as books (”load of crap” - larkin) are concerned, and depending on the amount of time you have, i’m guessing that the hill-simeone biography (which presumably expands on her programme note at the philharmonia site) might be fruitful (cf. http://www.therestisnoise.com/2005/11/a_life_of_messi.html). alex also has a neat anecdote: http://www.therestisnoise.com/2008/02/nine-years-ago.html.
Miss Mussel | Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
Thanks Ian…I was thinking I should have a look through my copy of The Rest Is Noise but this website stuff is great too!
This sort of collaboration is what makes me love the intertubes.